Close to Wrangel island, we came upon three Polar Bears near a Walrus Carcass. This was the third Walrus kill we had seen. Surprisingly we had seen few seals so the bears had had to resort to taking young Walrus. The Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) is the iconic species...
Just south of Wrangel Island in the Russian Far East we came across two young Polar Bear siblings. This one was curious and came to check us out before heading off to play with his sib. A wonderful encounter. The Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) is the iconic species of...
Just south of Wrangel Island, these two Polar Bears entertained us with their playful antics. It seems likely that these young bears had only recently left the protection of their mother and would be soon going their separate ways. The Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) is...
South of Wrangel Island we found this beautiful Polar Bear on a very large ice floe. The Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) is the iconic species of the Arctic. They are normally found near the floe edge where they hunt seals most notably Ringed Seals. On this trip we found...
The bears looked healthy and well fed. They were completely unconcerned by our presence and we were able to stay with them for more than an hour. The Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) is the iconic species of the Arctic. They are normally found near the floe edge where...
These animals were very relaxed. The Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is the largest of all the Arctic pinnipeds and the the only larger pinnipeds are the Elephant Seals. Here in the Bering sea, the Pacific subspecies O.r.divergens have longer tusks, up to 100cm (in males),...
It was very windy at Bempton Cliffs, East Yorkshire! The Gannets took full advantage and were soaring and wheeling in the breeze. These magnificent birds are highly social and nest in large colonies on steep, rocky cliffs. With a wing span of up to 1.8m they are...
On San Benitos Islands just of the the Baja Californian coast there is a small colony of Guadalupe Fur Seals and we were lucky to see them on our visit there in April 2018. The vast majority of these rare seals are found on Guadalupe Island. These attractive yet...
The Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) is the iconic species of the Arctic. They are normally found near the floe edge where they hunt seals most notably Ringed Seals. On this trip we found several bears on Walrus kills and saw very few seals. Polar Bears will also take...
At the southern tip of the Baja peninsular and just off the Gorda banks we had an amazing encounter with more than ninety Sperm Whales. At first they were quietly logging at the surface but slowly they become more active and started to dive and become more dispersed....
On our recent trip to Baja and just off the Gorda Banks at the southern tip of the peninsula we encountered a group of Humpback Whales. A female was quietly swimming along with her primary escort but there were four male pretenders in attendance. As a consequence,...
Our twelve days in Kanha (staying at the wonderful Singinawa lodge and guided by the excellent David Raju) were rewarded by the sighting of 13 different tigers with most being seen on multiple occasions. Many of these encounters were of a high quality. Males can weigh...
Weighing in at up to 1000kg and standing up to 2.2m at the shoulder, these are big animals! Tigers will take Gaur bulls opportunistically which attests to the power of the tiger. Their size and shape coupled with their strikingly white stockings can make them seem...
First, the spotted deer approach the water alarm calling as they went and stamping the ground with their forelimbs. Gradually they have the courage to drink. Sambar then approach the water, drink and are then spooked by the alarm calls of the Spotted Deer....
Sailing north from Antarctica to New Zealand, our final port of call was Campbell Island, the second largest of New Zealand’s sub Antarctic Islands and the most southerly. Like many of these islands, it is the remnant of 6-11 million year old volcano. The birds and...
A large male Type C Orca checking out the ice edge. We had sailed from the Ross Ice shelf into McMurdo Sound. We visited the historic huts of Scott and Shackleton (outstanding experience!) and then headed to the ice channel created by the icebreaker Polar Star to...
We arrived in the early morning getting our first glimpse of Ross Island and Mount Terror and soon after the ice shelf could be seen. This was named “The barrier” by the early Antarctic explorers since it represented an impenetrable barrier to their progress. The ice...
Antarctic Minke Whales. As we sailed along the Ross Ice Shelf we spotted the distant blows of Antarctic Minke Whales feeding just in front of the ice cliff. As we approached we realised there were about 30 of these animals and they were feeding on the upwelling of...
As we rounded Cape Bird en route to Cape Royd (Shackleton’s hut) and Cape Evans (Scott’s hut) with its large Adelie Penguin colony, we ran into some dense pack ice. The Captain took the Spirit of Enderby gently and skillfully through the ice. We enjoyed the...
Crabeater Seals lounging on the pack ice. After sailing south for four days, we arrived off Cape Adare early in the morning. The sea was calm and the sun was shining. The ship was surrounded by ice bergs glistening in the bright sunshine. The peaks of Antarctica were...